"La Castagnola"

VINIFICATION: Maceration lasts between ten and fifteen days, then the wine goes into the "barriques", and then into the large oak vats.

AGEING: 16 months between French Barriques and large oak vats.

CHARACTERISTICS: The grapes have been reduced by 50 % approx. end of July, to increase the quality of the remaining ones during the last and most important period of the maturation.Fine ruby-red colour; intense flowery fragrance in youth, accompanying a delicate hint of vanilla acquired during ageing; the taste is dry and smooth, elegant, flavourful, well-balanced, slightly bitter and tannic.Best served between 18° and 20°, it is ideal with game, roast meat, typical piedmontese dishes with mushrooms or truffles. Strongly recommended to use a decanter before serving the wine.

Due to its limited production, this wine is sold 40% upon reservation, whereas the remaining is distributed among all the buyers. The quantities are subject to availability.

Rosso Nobile

VINIFICATION: The grapes are softly macerated, then pressed. They are vinified separately, with fermentation at controlled temperature in stainless steel vats. After 15 days approx. both wines are assembled (the proportion of the 2 grapes might change depending on the vintages).

AGEING: Between 15 and 18 months in French oak barrels.

CHARACTERISTICS: Red ruby colour, with hints of brownish with age, intense fruity fragrance (particularly berries such as blueberry and blackberry). In mouth, the wine is intense, with a pleasant oaky fragrance, well-combined between the acidity of Barbera and the green pepper peculiar to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Ovada

VINIFICATION: Maceration lasts between seven and ten days in steel tanks, then the wine goes into large Slavony oak vats.

CHARACTERISTICS: By ruthless pruning, even thinning if necessary, the yield of the land is literally halved, resulting in structured but elegant wines that will last years in the cellar. Deep red colour, vinous smell, intense and complex; dry bitter taste which is peculiar to Dolcetto grape. Minimum ageing: 1 year in bottle before being sold. Matches perfectly with duck meat, spaghetti or risotti, piedmontese cheese. Special recipe: Agnolotti del plin al tocco.

TEMPERATURE: 18° - 19°C.

Dolcetto d'Ovada

Denominazione di Origine Controllata

PRODUCTION AREA: Alto Monferrato - Southern Piedmont.

GRAPE: Dolcetto.

ALCOHOL CONTENT: 13°.

HARVEST: Second half of September.

VINIFICATION: After an 8-day maceration, the fermentation takes place in large temperature-controlled Slavony-oak vats. It is bottled the spring after the harvest, and sold in September.

Bianco Nobile del Castello

VINIFICATION: The grapes are softly macerated , then pressed. They are then fermented separately in french oak tonneaux, and finally gathered in steel vats.

CHARACTERISTICS: Straw yellow colour , while the fragrance is delicate with hints of apricot and peach. The taste is elegant and balanced. It is fully appreciated drunk alone, but is also recommended with all kinds of fish dishes, e especially with shellfish. This wine should be drunk within a couple of years, to be fully appreciated.

TEMPERATURE: Best served between 12 and 14 degrees.

Cortese dell'Alto Monferrato

Denominazione di Origine Controllata

GRAPE: Cortese.

RIPENING PERIOD: Mid September.

CLUSTER: Conical with one or two projections; medium, slightly oval, golden yellow grapes.

ALCOHOL CONTENT: 12°-13°.

MATURITY: Should be drunk within 2 years.

VINIFICATION: Cold maceration at 4°C right after the pressure, in stainless steel vats for approx. 72 hours, to better extract the fruity flavours from the skins.

CHARACTERISTICS: Cortese is the most important piedmontese white grape, and produces a yellow pale, dry fruity wine. It is pleasantly fragrant, with a moderate acidity to keep it fresh, but not too agressive.Strongly recommended with "hors d'oeuvre", vegetable soups or fish in general.

TEMPERATURE: Its ideal tasting temperature is 8 to 10°C.

Gentile

(This name has a double origin: the family name and the gentle sweetness of the wine.)

Ambra Nobile

GRAPE: Cortese and Sauvignon Blanc.

ORIGIN: "San Defendente" - Comune di Tagliolo Monferrato (AL).

ALCOHOL CONTENT: 14,5°.

VINIFICATION: After a late November harvest, the grapes collected in special trays lay down in ventilated rooms to dry up, for a couple of months. This technique consists in reducing the quantity of water and raise the sugar content. The grapes are finally pressed, and then the fermentation takes place in oak barrels.

REFINING: After a few months in barriques, the wine should complete its ageing through a period of two years minimum in bottle.

CHARACTERISTICS: Golden yellow colour, delicate nose, with hints of dried fruit. In the mouth, the wine is rich, complex, still very young, with peach and apricot flavours.

SERVING TEMPERATURE: 10 - 12°C.

GASTRONOMIC COMBINATIONS: All types of paté, strong cheese like Bleu or Roquefort, but also pastries and biscuits.

Grappa di Dolcetto

ORIGIN: Tagliolo M.to (AL) - Southern Piedmont.

GRAPE: Dolcetto.

ALCOHOL CONTENT: 45°

PROCEDURE: After the maceration in vats, the skins of the grapes are brought to a distillery nearby, where they will be distillated. To obtain better results during the distillation, these skins need to be wet, in order to produce a richergrappa once processed.

CHARACTERISTICS: Dry grappa obtained from a single grape (monovitigno); it mantains the typicity of Dolcetto, with a slightly almond fragrance. Full-bodied in mouth, with a very deep and strong aftertaste, resulting from the richness (in alcohol) of the distillated grapes. This Grappa is well balanced between the alcohol and the thickness of its body.

AVAILABILITY: Very limited.

L'In....chino

PRODUCTION AREA: Tagliolo M.to - Southern Piedmont.

GRAPE: Dolcetto.

CATEGORY: Aromatized wine.

VINIFICATION: As for the Dolcetto, after a soft pressure of the grapes in a pneumatic press, the juice ferments together with the skins in large wooden vats at controlled temperature for approx. 8 days. The procedure of aromatising the wine is an old recipe from the end of last century created by the forefather of the present owner, Oberto Pinelli Gentile. It consists in ageing the wine in French wooden barrels for 60 days, together with up to 10 different herbs (gentian, rhubarb, peruvian bark, cinnamon, ...) especially selected to better match with the characteristics of Dolcetto. The wine is then clarified, refrigerated, and finally bottled.

CHARACTERISTICS: Red ruby colour, intense fragrance, slightly spicy due to the herbs; in mouth the wine is full-bodied, sweet with a slightly bitter aftertaste. This is a wine for after dinner, but is also suitable for chocolate cakes such as "bonet" (typical piedmontese cake made with "amaretti").

Spumante Bianco Extra Dry del Castello

GRAPES: Pinot Bianco (50 %), Chardonnay (50%).

ALCOHOL CONTENT: 12,5°

VINIFICATION: From 2 to 4 months in stainless steel vats.

MATURITY: Should be drunk within 3 years.

CHARACTERISTICS: One of the historic wines of the Pinelli Gentile dynasty, the Spumante has a light yellow colour and a delicate fragrance; pleasant taste with hints of tropical fruit and flowers; a well-balanced wine, it is obtained with the Charmat method. It is fully appreciated as a starter, or to end up with the dessert.

Special recipe: Risotto with Spumante.

TEMPERATURE: 8 - 10° C.

Metodo Tradizionale Classico

Riserva del Marchese

GRAPE: Pinot Noir (100%).

MATURITY: Medium - long ageing.

VINIFICATION: After a soft pressure of the grapes, the skins are immediatelytaken away from the must: we have so obtained what the French call "Blanc de Noir" (white Champagne from red grapes). The fermentation takes place at controlled temperature in stainless steel vats.

SPARKLING PROCEDURE: It is in fact a re-fermentation, which happens in bottle, and is followed by a long period (12 months) during which the wine lies together with the yeasts ("remuage sur pupitres"). We then have the "degorgement", which consists in freezing the neck of the bottle, uncorking it and getting rid of the deposit resulting from the second fermentation. Finally, before re-corking the bottle, we add the "liqueur d'expedition" and we start the "vieillissement sur lattes" which is the normal ageing (minimum 12 months) before selling the wine.

CHARACTERISTICS: Straw yellow colour, very elegant "perlage" with small and persistent bubbles; delicate fragrance, always evolving with age. In mouth, it is very dry, well-balanced and harmonious, with hints of honey.